Kick-Ass 2

Based on a comic book franchise, 2010's Kick-Ass introduced Chloë Grace Moretz as feisty Mindy Macready—aka Hit-Girl—a cleverly cartoonish, leather-clad, purple-haired epitome of female empowerment, who spewed relentless profanity and hurled lethal nunchuks as a real-life would-be superhero. Having lost her beloved father (Nicolas Cage), Hit-Girl now lives with NYPD detective/guardian Sgt. Marcus Williams (Morris Chestnut), and tries to cope with the mean girls at Millard Fillmore High School. When dopey Dave Lizewski (Aaron Taylor-Johnson)—aka Kick-Ass—asks her to join him as a dynamic duo, at first she refuses. So Kick-Ass instead teams up with the deluded, spandex-clad Justice Forever squad, comprised of Dr. Gravity (Donald Faison), Mr. Radical (Matt Steinberg), Night Bitch (Lindy Booth), Battle Guy (Clark Duke), and an older couple called Tommy's Dad & Tommy's Mom (Steven Mackintosh, Monica Dolan). Led by a crook-turned-born-again-Christian—the sadistic Colonel Stars and Stripes (Jim Carrey)—these vigilantes patrol the streets and help out at food banks. The über-villain here is Chris D'Amico (Christopher Mintz-Plasse)—aka Red Mist—in league with a brutal bodybuilder/former-KGB agent (Olga Kurkulina)—aka Mother Russia—and her manservant (John Leguizamo). Writer-director Jeff Wadlow recycles the same costume-wearing caricatures and crime-fighting concept, while adding even more misogynistic violence (which prompted Carrey to publicly disavow Wadlow's all-too-realistic depiction of brutal carnage). Optional. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by costars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chloë Grace Moretz, and writer-director Jeff Wadlow, extended scenes w/optional commentary (14 min.), the production featurettes "Creating a Badass World" (8 min.), "Upping the Game" (7 min.), and "Going Ballistic: Weapons & Stunts" (7 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are the behind-the-scenes segments "Street Rules: Showdown at the Evil Lair" (16 min.), "An Ass-Kicking Cast" (12 min.), and "Hit Girl Attacks: Creating the Van Sequence" (5 min.), as well as an alternate opening w/optional commentary (3 min.), "Big Daddy Returns: The Unshot Scene" storyboard w/optional commentary (2 min.), and bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a fine extras package for an uninspired sequel.] (S. Granger)